Hanami Japanese - Mt Lawley

Hanami Japanese is my new local Japanese restaurant.

We tried Hanami for the first time a few weeks ago, and since then have been back twice!

Below are the dishes we tried on our first visit.

These were:

·         Prawn Gyoza ($7.90) but had it steamed instead of fried.

·         Teriyaki Tofu ($7.90)

·         Vegetable Katsu Curry set meal ($14.90 - includes salad, rice, miso).

·         Rapture Roll $21 for 10 pieces – prawns, cucumber, and avocado wrapped in salmon.

 Prawn Gyoza ($7.90) but had it steamed instead of fried.

Miso Soup

Teriyaki Tofu $7.90

Vegetable Curry set meal $14.90 (includes salad, rice, miso).

Sake!

Vegetable Katsu Curry

Rapture Roll $21 for 10 pieces – prawns, cucumber, avocado wrapped in salmon.

Rapture Roll up close

We later visited and tried the ‘Scallop Teppan Yaki’ served with vinegar sauce ($24.90), ‘Chicken Katsu Sushi Roll’ ($10.90 for 5 pieces) and the ‘Small Assorted Sashimi’ (9 pieces, $15.90. Salmon, Tuna, White fish and spiced octopus).

The sashimi was lovely and fresh and I quite enjoyed the spiced octopus which was also served with the salmon, tuna and white fish. The rapture roll was beautifully presented with fresh salmon covering the crunch cucumber, smooth avocado and fresh prawn.

The vegetable curry was a classic Katsu Curry. I wasn’t a huge fan of peas, corn and potato being the “vegetable” components of the dish as some fresh broccoli or some cauliflower wouldn’t have gone astray.

The Prawn Gyoza’s were tasty but nothing sensational. The wonton wrapping used had a nice texture and was not rubbery or undercooked. The teriyaki tofu was fried lightly in a crunchy tempura batter and inside oozed smooth silken tofu. This was sitting in a sweet/salty teriyaki sauce. The Miso soup had a lovely balance of saltiness and was very simple.

The salad as part of the set menu was strangely tasty. A lot of cheap lettuce covered in a sweet chunky sauce with some shredded carrot and cucumber. Nothing too fancy but a nice fresh change.

My favourite dish by far would have to be the ‘Scallop Teppan Yaki’ served with vinegar sauce. Plump, perfectly cooked scallops came out on a sizzling plate and were ever-so-tasty!

Highs: Scallop Teppan Yaki, fresh sashimi and teriyaki tofu!

Lows: Vegetable Katsu Curry less than desirable in quality of vegetables but tasted typically “katsu” – nothing too special, but overall it was nice and tasty.

Overall: This wasn’t a fine dining experience but the quality of Japanese was above average and prices were reasonable.

Will I return? Being 5 minutes down the road there’s no doubt I’ll be back when I crave some raw fish!